Mystery Worshipper: Cool Dude.The church:All
Saints, San Francisco, California.Denomination: Episcopalian.The building: The
church fits so well into its suburban setting that you could
easily mistake it for one of the wooden houses. Built in 1903, it is
raised on a plinth and entered by a long flight
of steps. Inside all is wood. The low ceiling gives an intimate atmosphere,
slightly reminiscent of a spacious village hall. The wood is relieved by
stained glass in every window, which has the advantage of blocking out
views of the houses built right up against the church walls on either
side. It is a welcoming space.The church: This is a
neighbourhood church in an inner suburb. Many of the congregation arrived
on foot, presumably from nearby.The neighbourhood: The church is in the heart of the Haight Ashbury
district where in the 1960s the hippies roamed with flowers in their
hair. Since then the area has been heavily gentrified and the old wooden
houses have mostly been expensively refurbished. While this is good
for the future of the houses, it does make for less lively street life.
A large student population and the easygoing style of San Francisco
prevent it from being dull, however. An older male member of the congregation
was wearing a long batik dress and others ran the full gamut from preppie
smart to ultra casual. Nobody would feel out of place here.The cast: Rev. Kenneth Schmidt, Rector,
assisted by three servers.

What was the name of the service?
Solemn
Mass 10.00am on Whitsunday (Pentecost).

How full was the building?
About one-third full.

Did anyone welcome you personally?
We were welcomed personally and given an
admirably easy-to-follow service sheet.

Was your pew comfortable?
Like everything else in the building it was wood. It passed muster.

How would you describe the pre-service
atmosphere?
It was thoughtful with little conversation.

What were the exact opening words of the
service?
"Do you reaffirm your renunciation of evil?" The
service began with the Pentecostal renewal of baptismal vows.

What books did the congregation use during the
service?
The Episcopal Hymnal and the Episcopal Book of Prayer were used,
though most of the words were in the service sheet.

What musical instruments were played?
The organ, which was
beside the small choir at the back of the church.

Did anything distract you?
A woman
wearing bright red hot pants and a skimpy bright red top arrived late and
made her way noisily to the front pew. From there, she ostentatiously looked
over her shoulder every minute throughout the service to check audience
reaction. Members of the congregation, I noticed later, had been invited
to wear red for Pentecost.

Was the worship stiff-upper-lip, happy clappy, or
what?
Modern catholic: A strong sense of liturgy but not fussy for the sake
of it. At the beginning of the service we all turned to face the font
for the traditional renewal of our baptismal vows. This little movement,
a small thing in itself, helped bind the congregation together as a
group. Strikingly, the liturgy was a brilliant mix of tradition and
creativity. After the first verse of the Gospel, read in English by
the priest, a member of the congregation started to read the same text
in Dutch. After a few more sentences another member of the congregation
started to read in French, and so on. There were no fewer than twelve
languages: a canon of gospels that at its height became a quite unintelligible
babble. The text (John 20:19-23) concerns the Apostles being possessed
of the Holy Spirit but this was no speaking in tongues; merely a divine
cacophony of people speaking in their own mother tongues. San Francisco
is a cosmopolitan city, after all. It was an eloquent testimony of human
division by language, but also of unity. This reading was, for reasons
I cannot entirely fathom, a very moving experience.

Exactly how long was the sermon?
19 Minutes.

On a scale of 1-10, how good was the preacher?
7.

In a nutshell, what was the sermon
about?
Inclusiveness and the need to reach across language
and cultural barriers. This
led onto the launch of the church's centennial appeal to raise $100,000 to provide disabled access.

Which part of the service was like being in
heaven?
The cacophonous Gospel. Perhaps not heaven, but in the upper room maybe.

And which part was like being in... er... the other place?
One of the hymns, which started
with "Like the murmur of the dove's song," and continued in similar
sentimental vein.

What happened when you hung around after the service looking lost?
The rector spoke at length to everyone as they left and was welcoming
to us, two strangers in town. Coffee was available somewhere in the
basement and we were invited. As we were late we didn't stay.

How would you feel about making this church your regular (where 10 = ecstatic, 0 = terminal)?
If I lived in
San Francisco, maybe.

Did the service make you feel glad to be a
Christian?
Certainly.

What one thing will you remember about all this in seven days' time?
The multi lingual reading of the Gospel.

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